'The damage is done': Experts warn Gaza has reached the point of no return

[Eugene]

Source: The Independent

‘The damage is done’: Experts warn Gaza has reached the point of no return

UN officials warn damage done by Israel since Hamas’ deadly 7 October attacks is now ‘irreversible’, Maira Butt reports

5 hours ago

Houses, medical facilities, schools, shops, water, electricity and fuel.

Basic building blocks of everyday life that have been obliterated in many areas of the Gaza Strip as the Israeli bombardment following Hamas’ deadly 7 October attacks stretches into its third month.

With US president Joe Biden this week pointedly calling out the Israel military’s ‘indiscriminate bombing, many Palestinians feel that whatever happens next may be too little too late.

“The damage is done,” says Palestinian lawyer Diana Buttu, former legal adviser to the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO). “Gaza is now beyond repair. The physical damage cannot be fixed.”

Ms Buttu, who worked with the PLO and Israeli governments during the final Israeli-Palestinian peace talks between 2000 and 2004, believes the conflict has reached a point of no return.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/gaza-israel-war-bombing-experts-b2465750.html

Alternate link (no registration required): https://news.yahoo.com/damage-done-experts-warn-gaza-135947137.html

[Chainfire]

1. It will get better when the settlers move in.

[enough]

2. Mission accomplished

[stopdiggin]

3. it can be rebuilt. (London was)

perhaps with a little more focus on building roads, shelter, and groceries - and a little less on rockets and tunnels. But I guess we'll have to see what actually happens.

[emulatorloo]

7. Source? Thanks!

[Beastly Boy]

4. I am probably not getting this right

Is the former PLO legal advisor speaking on behalf of the UN, or is the "damage is done" comment unrelated to what UN said?

If "the damage is done" is not the conclusion of the experts, and is only an opinion of a former PLO lawyer, the subtitle is deceptive.

There seem to be several unrelated attributions that the author is attempting to manipulate into her preferred narrative.

[Oopsie Daisy]

5. That's always the way, isn't it? Great observations. Thanks for sharing them.

[qwlauren35]

8. There's a video.

There are two speakers and one is a UN representative who explains the concept of "domicide" - making a place unlivable. He talks about the types of structures in Gaza that have been destroyed: schools, hospitals, government buildings. The other speaker experienced the domicide in Syria and makes comparisons.

BTW, I'm not sure that the rebuilding of London can be compared. Britain had the financial resources to make it happen. I'm not sure if anyone is going to pour billions of dollars into Gaza.

[Beastly Boy]

9. This doesn't reflect on the problematic narrative structure of the article. As far as rebuilding Gaza,

I am more optimistic: enormous resources went into creating Hamas military infrastructure, and no one expected that. Modern building materials and methods are far superior to those used in London in 1945. Most hospitals, schools and civilian structures in Gaza were built and maintained by foreign charitable sources (oddly, Al Shifa, the biggest and most modern hospital in Gaza, was built by Israel) prior to the war, and this support is expected to continue without interruption. Expressions of sympathy towards Gazan civilians around the world has been remarkable, and if only a tiny fraction of that energy translates into action, Gaza should have the resources London could only dream of.

All wars result in domicide and population displacement to one degree or another. When wars end, resettlement is sure to follow.

[muhamed g]

10. This article is nonsensical

What does it mean to say Gaza can't be rebuilt? If billions in aid is given, and 100 years time, Gaza will still be in the dark ages? These people need to be more precise.